X-Out: Resurfaced Reviews

X-Out: Resurfaced is ranked in the 44th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
7.5 / 10.0
Mar 3, 2025

X-Out Resurfaced is a faithful remake of the 1990 classic, preserving its challenging gameplay, retro visuals, and customization system, but missing opportunities to modernize key mechanics.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Feb 19, 2025

X-Out: Resurfaced is a quality remake of a shoot 'em up originally released for the Commodore 64. The original's underwater setting and submarine customization options are now supported by improved graphics, UI fixes, and a co-op mode that should help it appeal to more than just those seeking their retro fix.

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7 / 10.0
Feb 25, 2025

A pretty straightforward remaster of an excellent 90s shoot-em-up set in the depths of the ocean. The enhanced visuals of the deep sea stages look vibrant and faithful, though a classic graphic toggle would've been nice. A new mirror mode, some added cheats, and a preconfigured submarine loadout screen are nice additions and all, but the lack of save options or online co-op is a missed opportunity. Still, what's here is solid stuff, especially if you like a well-earned challenge. This is a strong recommendation for fans of the game or shoot-em-up enthusiasts, but the $20 price tag might be too much to swallow for others.

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3.8 / 5.0
Feb 24, 2025

X-Out is back with some tweaks to bring it to the modern era whilst keeping it's retro charm.

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Evan Norris
Top Critic
6 / 10.0
Feb 21, 2025

While this remake introduces many worthwhile additions — remade sprites, remastered music, helpful quality-of-life upgrades, and a brand new co-op offering — it doesn't do anything to remedy the original's balance issues or elevate its rudimentary scoring system.

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7 / 10.0
Feb 18, 2025

Old-school shoot 'em up revamped for a new generation

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Feb 22, 2025

X-Out: Resurfaced is one of the easiest shoot 'em ups that I've ever played but its ship customisation is so fun that it's still a solid game. 🛸

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Mar 18, 2025

X-Out: Resurfaced comes close to hitting the mark but doesn't quite make it. It stays true to its era and is overall a solid shooter, offering a refreshing experience that stands out both in gameplay and audiovisual presentation. However, its punishing difficulty level inevitably pushes less experienced players away, making it hard to recommend without reservations — except to fans of the original game and the most dedicated bullet-dodgers. That said, if you're feeling lucky and looking for new challenges in the realm of 2D shooters, feel free to add an extra star to the score. Once you master X-Out’s intricacies, it rewards you handsomely. Now, we can only hope that its sequel also makes its way to modern platforms for everyone to experience!

Review in Finnish | Read full review

7 / 10.0
Mar 18, 2025

All in all, X-Out: Re-surfaced is a little different from the other horizontal shooters of yore, and this does give it its own identity. I would have liked some more content on the history of the game, but the more tasteful aspects of this remaster give it appeal, just be prepared for a serious challenge!

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6 / 10.0
Mar 4, 2025

X-Out Resurfaced is a bizarre proposition. There isn’t anything particularly bad about the game, nor is there anything amazingly standout aside from the soundtrack or the opening cinematic, leaving it as little more to me than just a curiosity. I enjoyed my time with the game (and even more when I found out you can have more than one life), but I genuinely don’t think I’ll be returning to this one again due to it lacking much in the way of outstanding qualities. It’s a pick for inquisitive fans of the genre, but unless you’re starved for something to play or just HAVE to have every Shmup on the market, there isn’t much here with X-Out that you can’t get elsewhere with less bloom.

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8 / 10.0
Feb 20, 2025

X-Out Resurfaced is a very simple, no frills shooter that provides a moderate to steep challenge for even the toughest players. Its presentation and gameplay doesn't try to compete with the bigger releases and it really doesn't have to.  It stands on its own as a fun action shooter game that many will find charming.

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65 / 100
Feb 22, 2025

KRITZELKRATZ 3000 and Rainbow Arts bring us an “old-school” ship shooter reinvented for the occasion. Although it may seem like just another ship game, thanks to the customization that we can have of the submarines we will always be trying to adapt to each phase and try out our most optimized combat style.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Worth your time
Feb 19, 2025

As it stands, this is yet another decent addition to the Switch’s digital marketplace of retro releases. X-Out: Resurfaced is a cool curiosity to pop out of what would otherwise be the depths of videogaming side catalog. That’s not to say it’s a bad game, though. While I wouldn’t call it a must-buy, it is a neat little download to have in case you get a hankering to play something old-school on the go.

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8.2 / 10.0
Feb 19, 2025
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70%
Feb 18, 2025

For a remaster of a 30+ year old game, the developer did a surprisingly good job with X-Out: Resurfaced. The controls and overall gameplay is solid and holds up pretty well. Being able to customize one of the four submarines to tailor your playstyle is a nice twist. But it doesn’t make it any easier. Lack of continues and extra lives (unless you have enough to buy additional(s) subs) makes for a frustrating and repetitive experience as dying boots you back to the main menu. If you’re looking for a hard as nail shmup experience, this is one of the best. If you’re looking to dip your toes in the genre, this ain’t it.

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Feb 18, 2025

X-Out is back thanks KRITZELKRATZ 3000 and Rainbow Arts, as the legendary developer returns in a big way for X-Out: Resurfaced. I can only fathom of a few retro remakes that look and feel this good to play. It was a game ahead of its time, and the depths it goes to be an engaging and challenging shmup. X-Out: Resurfaced is faithfully recreated, and this unique shoot’em up is for all to enjoy once again or for the first time.

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65 / 100
Feb 18, 2025

X-Out: Resurfaced is a nostalgic dive into a glorious past that, alas, will never return. The game by Rainbow Arts resurfaces today with a re-edition that is faithful to the original, with all its pros and cons. Spectacular for its time, despite being derivative, the German shoot 'em up shows its age, flaws that were easier to overlook in the early '90s. Not very long and somewhat unbalanced, this intense underwater race still has a special charm, thanks to its solid technical execution and some notable ideas. The shooter market has made significant strides since then, but if you're eager to experience an old classic (though not the best), I recommend giving it a go. Just keep your expectations in check.

Review in Italian | Read full review